This vs. That: Beach vs. Mountains
Aug 11, 2011 
I have been Slacker on getting to this post in part because I hoped more people would vote, and in part, I was pulling a Donkey and enjoying the waffling with melty butter and hot drippy syrup . . . yummm . *wipes drool of her face and continues typing*
This was a surprisingly hard vote for me! So here are the results:
Total votes: 18
Beach: 10 votes; 56%
Mountains: 8 votes; 44%
While a few of you expressed love for your reject, and one of you did suggest mountains NEXT to the beach (after voting, so I didn’t count a ‘both’ vote), most people were surprisingly sure of themselves.
And of course, I could have decided to split the vote 50/50, because after all, I grew up among the mountains, and I consider them to be my old friends. In fact, I miss them terribly and have considered starting a petition to rename the grossly misnamed Appalachians.
Hills, people. They are definitely HILLS.
Anyway, back to the subject at hand. When I vacation, do I dream of packing up my tent and enduring the hard ground of a mosquito-infested campsite? No, I do not. So of course, my vote had to go to the beach. But I agree with Missed Periods. I’ll take the 75 degree weather and crystal clear water, please. 🙂
Okay, now on to the next debate:
More Contests!
1) Rachel McClellan over at Blackbird in my Window is hosting a summer writing contest with Lauren Ruth from the BookEnds Agency as the judge. Check out the contest rules here.
You have until August 11th to submit your first 500 words, so polish your work and go check it out.
2) Also, there is an editor-judged contest over at Gabriela Lessa’s blog. There are four different editor-judges from Sourcebooks, each one judging a different category from PB through Adult lit. You can enter through Aug. 9th, so go check it out here.
Best of luck!
P.S. I know this isn’t much of a post, but I have something super fun planned for the next couple of weeks! Can’t wait to tell you all about it next Monday!
Micro Synopsis Contest at YAtopia with agent John Cusick
These contests are suddenly popping up all over! Isn’t it great?
This one is open to MG and YA and asks for a three sentence synopsis of your plot. Beginning. Middle. End. 1. 2. 3.
For the record, this is not so easy, but you should definitely take the challenge! You have until Aug. 11th. so follow the link to YAtopia and leave your entry in the comments.
Best of luck!
That’s Not Me!
A year ago (or so), I read about Google Alerts on Elana Johnson’s blog.
They are pretty cool. You choose something you’d like to google, and once a week (or however often you want to receive them), Google sends you a list of the top-ranked pages for that search term. If you don’t know how, you should definitely google it . . .that is, as soon as you’re done commenting on my blog. 😉
As a writer and blogger, for example, you can set up an alert for your name just to get an idea of where and how frequently you are mentioned. Does your blog come up when someone searches for your name (ie agents and editors)? Are any other sites referencing you?
Still Harping on Justin Bieber
“Luck is what happens when Opportunity meets Preparation.” -Seneca (Roman dramatist)
I heard this quote today, and it really resonated with me. It’s so easy to attribute a person’s success to Luck. And perhaps it’s true. But that doesn’t mean there was no work or effort involved.
Take Stephanie Meyers. I’ve heard it said that her success is merely luck. And perhaps that’s true about the fact that she hit on the next teen craze. But the craze didn’t just find her. . . . She spent hours writing a novel and editing it. Then she took the time to write a query and put herself out there. She was prepared when opportunity came knocking.
Another prime example: Justin Bieber. His rise to fame is astounding, and it would be easy to dismiss him as the luckiest kid in the world. But fame didn’t just show up on his doorstep one day. He was learning to play the drums when he was two. He was entering contests and putting his performances online for others to view by the time he was ten. Sounds simple, but it takes guts. And work. Opportunity came knocking BECAUSE of his preparation.
So when I heard this quote, my mind translated it into this: “Don’t sit around hoping to get published or worry that you’ll never be lucky enough. Go out and write. And write. And write. Then don’t be afraid to put yourself out there.”
Because you never know when Opportunity will come knocking. And if you aren’t prepared, it might just pass you by.
What are you doing to be prepared?
A Little Mo[u]rning Humor
For whatever reason, I have been feeling OLD lately. Definitely an all-caps kind of feeling. Rather than whine about it, I present my method of coping for your viewing pleasure. Yup, it’s a list:
- You can’t ride a roller coaster without taking drammamine first.
- You know whether or not it’s going to rain by listening to your knee.
- When channel surfing, you pause on the Face Cream info-mercial promising to erase those wrinkles; then have to force yourself not to pick up the phone when they say you only have 15 minutes left to get the deal.
- 30 doesn’t seem old anymore.
- 40 doesn’t seem old anymore.
- [For women] Going anywhere without make-up is not an option.
- [For men] Rogaine doesn’t seem so implausible anymore.
- The parents of the cute little family next door were born the year you graduated from High School.
- Your child asks you how old you were when the dinosaurs went extinct.
- The kid working at the local 7-11 calls you ma’am/sir.
Do you have any to add?
Mary Pickford: The Justin Bieber of Her Day?
After quoting Mary Pickford last week, I had a couple of people ask about her. Of course I didn’t know anything, but that is easily rectified in the computer age. So today I present Mary Pickford, a.k.a. Gladys Smith (1892-1979):
This media file is in the public domain in the United States. This applies to U.S. works where the copyright has expired, often because its first publication occurred prior to January 1, 1923. See this page for further explanation.
It turns out that Mary Pickford was a giant in the film industry. Not only was her fame as a silent actress akin to that of Charlie Chaplin (i.e. THE biggest starlet of her day, and considered at the time to be the most famous woman to have ever lived), but she also helped reshape Hollywood. She is the reason that movies are not simply reproductions of plays on film.
On a funny note, one might also call her the Justin Bieber of her day because she was originally identified by her hair. When she first gained popularity, they didn’t put actors’ names in the credits, so she was simply known as “The Girl with the Golden Curls” or “Blondilocks.” And when she finally did cut it in 1928, it was front page news. Sound familiar?
Anyway, I don’t want to bore you with too many details, but I will mention two facts that make me like her (and make me think of writing):
- First, she attributes her popularity to the fact that in the beginning she took as many roles as she could, no matter how small. She understood that if she became known, there would be a demand for her work.
- Second, once she had made it, she used her fame to benefit many charitable causes and she convinced others to do the same.
Unfortunately, the advent of “talkies” became her undoing. Though a pioneer of the film industry, she, ironically, underestimated the power that sound combined with film would have (that, and she cut her hair). In the end, she retired as an actress in 1933.
So I ask you . . . what would you do if your chosen career suddenly ended for whatever reason? And are e-books today the equivalent of “talkies” back then?
Pitch Contest!
Chanelle at Beyond Words is having a pitch contest with her agent, Victori Marini. It ends today though, so quick go check it out here.
Best of luck!
UPDATE: The contest has been extended through July 29th. Go hither and enter!
Short and Sweet
I found this quote and wanted to share:
“What we call failure is not the falling down, but the staying down.”
-Mary Pickford
Potty Talk
Though we generally discourage potty talk at our house, today I’m making an exception. On my latest trip to France and Switzerland, my sister and I had endless laugh sessions from the potties that be.
Sure, you can find gross public restrooms in the U.S., and let’s not forget the long-drop outhouses at camp sites or the infamous port-a-potties at big events. Still, we just can’t compare to Europe.
First, we have the squatters.
From the outside, it looks like a typical roadside rest stop potty,
but open those doors and you’re in for a fun surprise.
Oh yes. Not only is this a place to unload your cares, it’s an exercise facility as well. Talk about time management.
And don’t even think about cheating on those squats by putting a hand on the back wall. The thing automatically flushes down the entire wall to clear your waste. Not a pleasant surprise (fortunately, that was my sister who found out the hard way).
Next we have the pay potties
Slip your euro in the slot, and you’re ensured a cool 20 minutes of private reading time. Just don’t get caught up in your book, because those doors pop right open when your time’s up.
But on the plus side, they come with the guarantee of an automatic washdown between each use. A word of caution: be sure to dry off the seat before getting comfortable.
And finally, my personal favorite: the metal-seated variety in the high Alps.
So, I used this thing in July, and I nearly froze my little tushy off. I can only imagine the fun experience you might have in January. Drying off your seat before using it is more than just good hygiene if you know what I mean (think A Christmas Story and the flag pole incident).
Now what does all this have to do with writing? Well, I’m sure I could say something about style and making it your own. Or perhaps it’s about the improvement process over time. Or maybe something about being aware of the pitfalls of writing . . . but really, I just thought it was funny.
What do you take from this?